Deirdre Hopkins

Instructor, Geology

Geology began for me as an interesting elective in first year science at UBC in Vancouver. By second year I was ready to dive in head first. I finished a B.Sc (Hons.) in Geological Sciences in 2005, and went on to complete a M.Sc. in Structural Geology at UBC in 2008. My first job in geology took me to Canada’s arctic in search of diamonds. I was fortunate enough to be working for Eira Thomas, the "Queen of Diamonds', who in earlier years led the team of geologists who discovered Diavik, Canada's second diamond mine. Stationed in a remote field camp roughly 500 km north of Yellowknife, our small crew of less than 10 geologists and geological assistants spent our days combing the tundra for diamond indicators minerals in hopes of finding another rich diamond deposit.

The allure of the arctic, with its endless tundra, 24-hour sunlight, beautiful wildflowers, untouched lakes, caribou, muskox and grizzlies brought me back for two more years of mineral exploration – this time in search of gold, silver, copper and other valuable metals and minerals. In subsequent years, I worked for several other mineral exploration companies and had the chance to do fieldwork in many remote parts of British Columbia as well as Ontario. I am happy to report with all honesty that we are lucky to live in such a beautiful country.

I first visited the Kootenays on a university ski trip to Red Mountain. A few days of fresh powder and genuinely friendly locals left me wanting more, so I moved to Rossland in 2008 and haven’t looked back. I came for the skiing, but am continually finding more and more reasons to be glad to have made the Kootenays my home. I began teaching at Selkirk College in 2012, and am very thankful to have been given this opportunity to share my love of geology with our students. I hope and strive to live up to the high quality of teaching Selkirk College is known for and inspire our students to explore the world around them through the lens of geology.